There's an article on the county budget, which will likely be approved on Tuesday. It quotes two Dryden County Legislators. Mike Lane, who "would have been happier had the Legislature hit the 3 percent levy increase goal," wonders if people expect higher taxes now:

"Either people are numb by the tax increases of the last three years or resigned to the fact we are doing the best job we can," he said."

Martha Robertson, who voted against an earlier version of the budget, says she feels "more comfortable right now than I did before," though "There are a lot of things that are not being funded that need more resources, but everything is a compromise."

On the opinion page, today's Darts & Laurels has two darts from Dryden. Kitty Totman of Freeville sends a dart to "the person who discarded his or her elderly family pet dog in the cold damp weather last week so it would have to fend for itself or die," while Dawn Potter of the Varna Community Association sends a dart to "the person or group who took the 9-foot outdoor lighted Halloween arch decoration from the Varna Community Center."

There's also a letter from Maureen Brull of Dryden, an independent upset that a Republican voted for Bush because "It's better than having a First Lady who spreads ketchup all over everything."